An outdoor pizza oven can be a great addition to backyard parties or a quiet family weekend at home. Creating an authentic brick oven wood fired pizza in the privacy of your own backyard is a luxurious dream come true. Depending on the model, outdoor pizza ovens can be fueled with charcoal, gas or wood pellets as well as split wood. However, many people strive to achieve the authentic brick oven wood-fired pizza experience found in Italian pizza restaurants and find experimenting with different types of wood or charcoal for a variety of flavor can be fun and rewarding.

For even more pizza baking variety, manufacturers of wood-burning and pellet stoves may offer an attachment for cooking with propane. In exchange for the wood flavor propane ovens heat steadily and remain at a steady temperature where wood needs to be monitored and adjusted to maintain a steady temperature. Alternatively, some propane pizza ovens may have an optional wood burning attachment sold separately by the manufacturer to allow for a choice of heat sources. Regardless of fuel type, once the oven preheats a pizza will be ready to enjoy in minutes.

In addition to different types of fuel, other foods besides pizza like meat and baked goods can be cooked in the oven offering even more versatility and backyard dining options for family and guests. Outdoor pizza ovens are available in a variety of styles and a wide range of prices from less than two hundred dollars to thousands of dollars depending on design, manufacturer, size and features.

Grill-top

Grill-top pizza ovens are attachments sold as kits that install on existing gas or wood pellet grills to turn the grill into a high temperature pizza oven. As mentioned earlier, other foods like baked goods and meat can also be baked in the oven which can allow an entire menu to be cooked outdoors. This type of outdoor pizza oven is the least expensive but be sure the kit you choose is compatible with your grill. Some are made exclusively for one manufacturer while others fit several brands and models.

Portable

Fueled by either propane or wood, these pizza ovens are great for outdoors whether it's on the patio or at the beach or campsite. Some portable pizza ovens sit flat on a tabletop while others have short legs that raise the oven a few inches from the table. A few manufacturers offer leg kits or carts for separate purchase that put the pizza oven at table height without taking up limited space on the tabletop.

Countertop

As the name suggests, countertop outdoor pizza ovens sit on a countertop similar to a portable pizza oven but are stationary because of their weight and design. Countertop ovens are available in clay, stainless steel and copper in a wide range of prices depending on material and manufacturer. To accommodate a lack of counterspace some countertop models include a cart with wheels that frees up precious counter space and allows the oven to be conveniently moved around the yard or patio when not in use.

Free standing

Free standing pizza ovens are great for patios and decks but aren't as portable as smaller grills that are specifically designed for portability, although some do have wheels allowing them to be moved around when not in use for convenience. Because they're larger than portable models, the oven sits above the combustion box making the cooking space larger and more versatile. For example, the oven may have two racks to cook more food at the same time.

Built-in

Whether part of an outdoor kitchen layout or the focal point of the patio, masonry wood-fired pizza ovens can be a long-lasting part of your backyard landscape. Built-in pizza ovens will cost much more than a portable or free-standing oven but will last for years. There are kits available for do-it-yourself projects to keep costs down or landscape designers and contractors can be hired to do the job.

A variety of outdoor pizza ovens are available to accommodate any backyard landscape whether part of a custom backyard kitchen, a sunny poolside patio or under a shady pergola.